As Told By Hikari, ch. 47

Last time, Hikari was making her way up Victory Road when she was challenged to a battle by Cameron.  However, the match was interrupted by Terrakion, the legendary Pokemon who lives in the mountain.  After clearing up a misunderstanding, Terrakion agreed to lead our heroine to the end of Victory Road in order to take on the Pokemon League!

It took a while, but thanks to Terrakion’s guidance I finally reached the end of Victory Road.  “Yes!  We made it!” I cheered, pumping my fist before turning to my guide.  “I can’t thank you enough for this.”

No need for thanks, hero, the legendary Pokemon replied. Now we just need to get your friend to a safe place so he can recover. It glanced back at Cameron, who still laid unconscious on its back.  The injured Trainer hadn’t woken up since he passed out after getting hit by Terrakion’s Sacred Sword attack, and I was starting to get a little worried.

“Well, look who it is!” a voice said.  Looking ahead, I saw Tatsuya walking towards us, but the second he noticed Terrakion his pace slowed and his eyes widened.  “Whoa, is that…?”

“Oh hey, Tatsuya!  Glad I caught up with you,” I greeted cheerfully.  “Oh, I want you to meet Terrakion.  Terrakion, this is my…” I paused, trying to think of a good word.  I couldn’t really call him my friend, considering the feelings we had for each other.  

Terrakion seemed to notice my blushing cheeks and smiled. Say no more hero, I get the idea, it thought before turning to Tatsuya and bowing its head, communicating with him in a way that I could hear it too. It is good to meet an ally of such brave humans.

“Uh… N-Nice to meet you, too!” Tatsuya replied as he bowed back, looking nervously excited.  “It’s truly an honor to meet one of the legendary Sacred Swords!”  Then something occurred to him.  “What a second, did you say ‘brave humans?’”

I did, the Pokemon answered.

“Oh yeah, I was gonna tell you in a minute!” I said before going into a rambling explanation of what happened on Victory Road.

“Whoa… OK, before we do anything else, we need to get Cameron help,” Tatsuya stated as he went into serious mode.  “Terrakion, there’s a Pokemon Center right by the Pokemon League.  Do you know where that is?”

Yes, it answered with a nod. I will escort you there… although I wonder what the humans will think when they see me.

“You haven’t been in contact with humans for a long time, huh?” I questioned, earning another nod.  “Don’t worry, a lot of humans are nice, and I’m sure they’ll be respectful towards you!”

It wasn’t long before we reached the Pokemon League itself.  It was housed in what appeared to be an ancient temple and I could see four staircases leading in different directions.  “Whoa…” I breathed as I gazed at the temple.

Quickly getting back on track, I noticed the Pokemon Center nearby.  “C’mon, let’s get Cameron inside,” I told Terrakion and we headed to the entrance.  Unfortunately, the legendary Pokemon couldn’t fit through the door due to its horns and so Tatsuya had to go in and bring Nurse Joy outside.

“Here he is, Nurse Joy,” Tatsuya said as he led the red-headed nurse over to Terrakion, who knelt down so she could see Cameron.

“Goodness, what happened to him?” she asked.

Terrakion proceeded to explain itself. I’m afraid it was my fault.  One of my attacks hit him by accident.  I accept full responsibility.

Nurse Joy gave an approving smile.  “Well it’s good to see a legendary Pokemon who can admit something like that.”  Getting serious again, she called Audino out and with Tatsuya’s help, they carefully brought Cameron inside the Pokemon Center, being careful not to jostle any injuries.

I waited outside for a while, just talking to Terrakion when I noticed that the sun was starting to set.  Turning to Terrakion, I told it, “I’m going in to check on Cameron.  Are you going to head home?”

Nodding, it replied, The boy is in good hands here.  My work is finished.

As it turned to leave, I noticed that there was a bad bruise left over from Samurott’s attack earlier.  I felt pretty bad about not seeing it sooner, but then again Terrakion was a pretty tough Pokemon.  “Wait a minute!  Let me fix you up.”  Before Terrakion could protest, I pulled out a Super Potion and sprayed it on the mark, healing it.  “There ya go, all better!”

Terrakion smiled. You are truly a kind person, hero.  Thank you, and best of luck to you. And with that, the legendary Pokemon bowed its head one last time before walking back to Victory Road.

I watched it until it was out of sight and smiled to myself.  If I was capable of earning the friendship of one of the Sacred Swords, then surely I could befriend Reshiram when the time came… hopefully.

Shaking the thought out of my head, I headed inside the Pokemon Center and met up with Tatsuya.  “How is he?”

“I dunno, Nurse Joy hasn’t come out yet,” he answered.  

As if on cue, Nurse Joy chose that moment to come out.  Straightening ourselves out, we simultaneously asked, “How is he?”

“Incredibly lucky, that’s how he is,” Joy replied.  “He got hit with a Sacred Sword attack and got off with just some bruising and a cracked rib.”

“That’s it?!” I exclaimed, surprised and relieved at the same time.  

Nodding, Nurse Joy went on, “Yes, but he still needs to recover.  He won’t be taking on the Pokemon League for a few weeks, at least.”

“I see,” I muttered. Hard to say if he’s good lucky or bad lucky… “Can I see him?”

“You should probably wait until tomorrow,” she recommended.  “Right now, he needs his rest.”

“OK, I understand,” I said.  “Thanks for your help, Nurse Joy.”

That night, I just laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling.  I had managed to make it to the Pokemon League, and somewhere N was lying in wait to make his move.  I was so close, and yet I still didn’t know how to wake up Reshiram.  Not gonna lie, I was feeling a little frustrated.

My thoughts were interrupted momentarily when there was a knock on the door.  I got up and walked over to open it and was surprised to see a certain Cinccino.  “Minnie?  What are you doing here?”

“Cin cinccino cincci? (Is Samurott in there?)” she asked politely.

Oh, she wants to be with Samurott, I realized.  “Yeah, one second,” I said, reaching over to the bedside table where his Poke Ball laid.  Picking it up, I handed it to Minnie.  “There ya go, he’s all yours!”

“Cincci! (Thank you!)” she said with a curtsey.  “Cincci, cinccino. (Good night, Hikari.)”

“G’night,” I told her before she left. I’ll bet she wants to give him some encouragement… what a sweet girlfriend he has, I thought with a smile as I closed the door.

Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, an idea suddenly came to me.  It seemed a little silly, but maybe it would help my situation.  Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the Light Stone and set it next to me.

I took a deep breath and started speaking to it.  “Uh… hi.  I don’t know if you can hear me in there, but I thought I might as well give it a shot.  My name’s Hikari, and I’m a Pokemon Trainer.”  Of course the stone didn’t reply, but I kept talking as I moved onto my back.  

“Ever since I was little, I’ve loved Pokemon and I can’t imagine what life would be like without them.  But these… these guys called Team Plasma are trying to separate people and Pokemon.  Their leader N is even using Zekrom to do it.  You remember Zekrom, right?”  I paused, as if I expected an answer.  “I guess you do, huh?  Anyway, I really don’t want that to happen… but I really need your help.  You don’t want Pokemon and people to be separated either, do you?  So please, Reshiram… please help me when I face N tomorrow.”

After staring at the Light Stone for a while and not getting anything, I sighed.  “Well… give it some thought,” I said before turning over and getting ready to go to sleep. Well that was stupid… I thought to myself as my eyes slid shut.

Samurott’s POV

Suddenly I felt cool mountain air hitting my face, and I woke up to see that I was out of my Poke Ball and outside of the Pokemon Center.  “(What the…?)”

“(Hello, handsome,)” a familiar voice said sweetly, and I saw Minnie standing next to me with my Poke Ball.

“(Minnie?)” I asked with a smile, leaning closer to her to nuzzle her cheek.  “(To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?)”

“(Does a girl need an excuse to be with her boyfriend?)” she replied as she hopped into my arms.  

I wasn’t quite convinced; sure the two of us enjoyed spending time together, but even Minnie wasn’t quite this spontaneous.  “(Come on babe, what’s up?  Is something wrong?)”

Her smile fading, the cute Cinccino looked up at me with concerned eyes.  “(Well, actually… it’s about tomorrow.  You and Hikari are facing that N person, right?)”

“(That about sums it up,)” I answered.  “(What’s the problem?  We’ve battled him before.)”

“(But this time’s different,)” Minnie stated.  “(He has a legendary Pokemon with him, Samurott, and a dragon at that!  We’re talking a Pokemon powerful enough to destroy the whole region, and you’re going to battle it?)”

Now I saw what she was doing.  “(Minnie, you’re not trying to talk me out of this, are you?  Why?)” I questioned, confused at her behavior.

Her eyes teared up as she spoke.  “(I just… I’m really scared for you.  What if something happens to you?  What if you get hurt really badly?!  And I’ll be with Tatsuya, so I won’t be able to help you…)”

My heart ached as tears fell down her cheeks; I didn’t realize that she felt this way.  Licking them away, I gazed at her.  “(Oh Minnie, you’re so sweet to worry about me.  But there’s no way I can back out of this.  After all, this will be Hikari’s biggest battle yet.)”  I paused as my thoughts drifted back to that day in Accumula Town.  “(Back when we were first starting out, Hikari promised that she would never abandon me… and I intend to return that promise.  And I promise to you right now that I will come back to you.)”

Sniffling a bit, Minnie smiled at me and touched my furry cheek.  “(Oh, what happened to the shy, sweet Dewott I met in Nimbasa City?)”

“(He grew up,)” I answered before the two of us shared a tender kiss.  “(I love you, Minnie.)”

“(I love you too, Samurott,)” she replied before letting out a sheepish giggle.  “(Oh dear, I must look terrible, huh?  Why did I have to cry?)”

Chuckling, I nuzzled her again.  “(Don’t be silly; you’re adorable.)”  After another kiss, the two of us got comfortable and just looked up at the stars until we fell asleep.

Hikari’s POV

The first thing I did when I got up was go check up on Cameron.  I knocked on the door to his room and waited for him to answer.  “…Who is it?”

“It’s me, Hikari,” I answered. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” he replied through the door, and I went right inside.

Cameron certainly was in better shape than I expected.  Aside from a band-aid on his cheek and bandages wrapped around his midsection, he looked relatively OK.  “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“I’d be better if I could sit up,” he said with a frustrated expression.  “At least the worst I got was a cracked rib, huh?”

“I’m still amazed by that!” I commented.  “What do you do, drink a lot of milk?”

“Well, yeah!  Don’t you?” he inquired.

Sticking my tongue out, I said, “Blech, I hate milk.”

Cameron tried to laugh at my answer, but immediately winced and placed a hand over his injury.  “So it’s true, huh?  I won’t be able to go through the Pokemon League?”

Sighing, I nodded.  “Yeah, I’m afraid so.  Nurse Joy insists that you get plenty of rest so your injuries can heal.  I’m sorry, Cameron.”

“It’s fine,” the blonde Trainer said.  “At least you’re alright.  Speaking of which, what happened with Terrakion?”

“Oh yeah, I actually managed to befriend him!” I explained.  “It turns out he’s really nice and humble, and he even guided me to the top of the mountain and carried you here.”

“You’re kidding!” he exclaimed, raising his head but trying not to sit up.  “And I was unconscious during all this?!  Aw man!  Ouch…”

I couldn’t help but giggle a little.  “You gonna be OK?”

“I think so,” Cameron said with a small smile.  “Just do me a favor, willya?  Kick N’s butt for me!”

“Ha ha, I will, as long as you promise to rest,” I promised.  “OK, I better go.  I’ll come see you when it’s over.”

“Wait!  Before you go…” Pausing, the blonde Trainer pointed at his jacket hanging in the corner.  “There’s something I meant to give you.  It should be in the left pocket.”

Following his instructions, I walked over to check the jacket pocket and pulled out a small disk.

Hikari obtained a TM52 Focus Blast!

“That’s one of my favorite moves, Focus Blast,” he explained.  “Given enough time, your Pokemon will be able to shoot off a powerful ball of… well, you’ve seen it in action, you get the idea.”

Grinning, I slipped the TM52 in my TM Case.  “Thanks Cameron, I’ll need this.  See you later.”

“Go get ‘em, hero,” Cameron told me as I left the room.

After closing the door, I nearly ran straight into Tatsuya.  “Whoa!  Morning, Tatsuya.”

“Hey, Hikari,” he greeted.  “How’s our boy doing?”

“A little annoyed that he can’t sit up without hurting, but otherwise he says he’s fine,” I reported.

“Heh, that’s Cameron for ya,” Tatsuya said with a soft chuckle.  “But listen: there’s something I have to do before you go against the League.  Can you meet me outside?”

Nodding, I said, “Sure, no problem.”  I didn’t know what exactly Tatsuya had in mind, but I was fairly certain it involved a Pokemon battle.

After a few minutes, I went outside and spotted Samurott and Minnie fast asleep, the smaller Pokemon curled up on top of Samurott’s arms.  The larger Pokemon let out soft, steady breaths as he slept.  “Aww, it’s such a shame to wake them up,” I muttered with a smile.

“Yeah, but it’s gotta be done,” Tatsuya said as he walked up to me.  Pulling out a Poke Ball, Tatsuya recalled his Cinccino, her absence causing Samurott to stir.

“Sa… sa samurott? (Wha… where’d Minnie go?)” he mumbled as he got up.

“Sorry buddy, Tatsuya called her back,” I explained before turning back to the boy.  “So what did you want to do?”

Tatsuya’s expression became serious as he pulled out a different Poke Ball.  “Simple, really:  Hikari, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!  My Samurott versus yours!”

My eyes widened in surprise.  I knew he said that he was likely to challenge me before the League, but pitting our Samurott against each other?!  “Why Samurott in particular?”

“There’s a special move that only Pokemon like Samurott can learn:  one of the most powerful Water attacks, Hydro Cannon,” Tatsuya explained.  “I want to see if your Samurott is capable of the technique; if he is able to learn it, it’ll give him an edge in future battles.  So, will you accept my challenge or not?”

Looking over at Samurott, the determination burned in his eyes.  He was willing to go for it, and if that was the case, so was I.  Turning back to Tatsuya, I told him, “We accept.”

“Then let’s get started!” he declared as he prepared for battle.  “I’m warning you, I won’t be holding back this time!  Go, Samurott!”  His Samurott came out of his ball and let out a mighty roar.

Hikari vs. Tatsuya!

Hikari is challenged by Pokemon Trainer Tatsuya!

Just as a quick side note before we get started: at this point in the narrative, in order to avoid confusion, I’ll be referring to Tatsuya’s Samurott as Brother Samurott, seeing as how he’s been like a big brother to mine.

Anyway, Tatsuya was fast enough to make the first move.  “Swords Dance!”  Brother Samurott stood up on his hind legs and drew both of his seamitars, one after the other, as he was surrounded by red energy swords.

“Quick, use Surf!”  Samurott roared as a huge wave appeared in front of him and headed straight for Brother Samurott.

“Razor Shell now!”  Before the wave could hit, the older Pokemon shot forward and sliced through the wave with one weapon before quickly slashing Samurott with the other.

Whoa, Surf is useless against him! I thought, amazed by Brother Samurott’s technique. Suddenly I wish I could’ve seen him fight before.  “C’mon Samurott, use Aqua Jet!”  Recovering from the blow, my Water Pokemon was surrounded by water as he launched himself towards Brother Samurott, slamming into him before he could react.

Tatsuya smirked.  “Not bad Hikari, but can you dodge this?  Hydro Cannon!”  Turning towards Samurott, the older Water Pokemon opened his mouth, and a glowing light blue ball of water appeared in front of him.  Seconds later, he fired it at Samurott, causing major damage.

“So that’s Hydro Cannon… it’s so powerful!” I marveled as I healed my Pokemon with a Hyper Potion.

“That’s right,” Tatsuya said confidently.  “Samurott will have to learn it if he wants to win.  Razor Shell again!”  Crossing his seamitars, Brother Samurott ran forward.

“Block now!”  The younger Water Pokemon quickly drew his weapon and stopped his opponent’s charge, and for a few tense moments they were locked in the block, each pushing against the other.  Finally, Brother Samurott broke the block and leapt backwards, and Samurott took the opportunity to charge with a Razor Shell attack.

The two continued to parry each other’s attacks until I shouted, “OK, now use Aqua Tail!”  Samurott quickly turned and slammed his water-powered tail into his opponent.

Flinching from the impact, Tatsuya gave his next order.  “Change tactics, use Ice Beam!”  Much to my and Samurott’s surprise, Brother Samurott shot an icy beam from his mouth right at my Pokemon!

“Look out!” I shouted, but it was too late; the Ice Beam attack hit Samurott and froze him in place.  “Not good!”

“Hydro Cannon!”  I could only watch as the glowing ball of water slammed into Samurott, breaking the ice and sending him flying back toward me.

He’s not gonna last much longer, I thought, using another Hyper Potion to get him back on his feet.  “They’re kicking our butts, buddy.  You sure you wanna keep this up?”

“(I’m not stopping until I’ve learned that attack,)” the Formidable Pokemon replied, glaring at Brother Samurott.  “(Hikari, have me use Surf.  I have an idea.)”

At first confused by the request, I nodded, trusting in whatever plan he had.  “Surf!”  Once again, a large wave formed before Samurott.

“You know that’s not gonna work!  Razor Shell!”  As Brother Samurott charged toward the wave, I looked at my Samurott to see a glowing ball of water forming in front of his mouth.  “What?!”

I get it, he used Surf as a distraction! I realized. He’s already learned what he needs. Grinning, I shouted, “Samurott, use Hydro Cannon!”  On command, he shot the ball of watery energy through the wave, slamming into Brother Samurott before he could reach my Pokemon.

Tatsuya’s eyes widened in surprise.  “Amazing… he actually did it!”  As Brother Samurott fell before his Trainer, he tried to get up before Tatsuya stopped him.  “That’s enough, Samurott.”

“Eh?  Whataya mean?” I asked, tilting my head.

The older Trainer looked at me for a few moments before holding up his hands in surrender.  “I give up.”

“Ehhh?!” I exclaimed, confused by this decision.  “What the heck are you goin’ on about?”

“I never said one of us had to lose,” Tatsuya pointed out.  “I battled you so your Samurott could learn Hydro Cannon, and he did.  There’s no reason to continue any further.  Samurott, return.”  With a pleased smile on his face, he recalled his Pokemon.

Hikari defeated Pokemon Trainer Tatsuya!

I just smiled and shook my head.  “You’re kinda strange sometimes, ya know that?”  Tatsuya just shrugged in response and chuckled.  

My smile fell a little when I suddenly remembered saying the same thing to N once, just before we had gone on the Ferris wheel… and before I learned his secret.

“…kari?  Hikari?” I snapped out of my thoughts when Tatsuya waved his hand in front of me.  “You still here?”

“Oh yeah, sorry,” I apologized.  “I was just thinking.  Kinda dangerous, really.”

Laughing at my joke, Tatsuya replied, “That it is!”  Once he calmed down, he reminded me, “You’d better go back inside and get Samurott fixed up.  You’ll need him at full strength if you’re gonna take on the League.”

“Oh I will!” I said before suddenly realizing something.  “Hey wait, what are you gonna do?”

“Don’t worry,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.  “I’ll be right behind you.  Now go get ready, hero!”

“Oh, now you’re starting on that?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow at the nickname.

Shrugging, Tatsuya simply said, “It’s got a nice ring to it.”

Thanks to a grueling battle with Tatsuya, Hikari’s Samurott has learned his most powerful attack to date!  Our heroine’s chances of making it through the Pokemon League have gone up, and hopefully she’ll be able to stop N.  Stay tuned!